Young Writers Society

Karana

I shook my head. (Such an odd group. I have the strangest friends!) I giggled at the sight of Warren's bright red face, having just been kissed by Luna.

"So, how much farther to this library?" I asked aloud, hoping someone would answer me.

Tyrin

"Not far to the tunnel, come on," I said harshly, trying to get them moving. The forest went by us and we traveled into the night. The dark hours went by but I did not stop, and no one complained. When the first rays of dawn hit, we were there.

The forest had changed much in the distance we traveled. The trees were now dark, their leaves an eerie and unnatural grey. The light that filtered through them was bleak and held no warmth. The earth was a brownish black dirt, as if burnt in years gone by by some massive fire. Before them was a gaping hole, dark like the lair of a snake, an open maw ready to swallow them into its depths.

"This is it?" asked Julia increduously.

"This is it," I said grimly. Quickly I started forward and marched into the eveloping mass of shadows.

Julia

I shivered involuntarily as I followed Tyrin into the dark, foreboding abyss. As we descended along the steps, the atmosphere grew humid and a drop of sweat trickled from my brow.

"What's that smell?" A human Luna wondered, wrinkling her nose. You see, while the passageway was large, one dragon was more than enough to fill our limited space. I took a timid sniff at the air and then sniffed again.

"Smoke?" Karana gasped. "Is that smoke? What if the books are burning?" I did not wait to see how the others reacted. The spiralling staircase was leading nowhere fast enough.

"I'll go find out," I declared before slipping through the rock steps, falling deeper and deeper into the pit, my eyes peeled waiting for any sign of a room, an end to the stairs.

Luna watched as Julia slipped ahead of everyone else, moving as quickly as she could manage. She smiled to herself and changed shapes, so that she was a small hummingbird.

"What're you doing?" Julia asked, realizing who was flying around her head almost immediatly.

"I'm helping. Come on," Luna answered, zooming ahead, and stopping only when she came to a door, where she changed back into a human and waited for Julia to catch up.

Julia

I watched the small hummingbird zoom through the cracks in the stone work. She reached the bottom first, shifting back to human form but I soon landed beside her, cringing as my feet impacted with the solid ground. Phasing through objects may slow the fall but that doesn't mean landing isn't going to hurt.

"You ready?" Luna asked, looking up at the huge, elegant mahogany double door that stretched before us, the smooth handles carved into the shape of owls in mid flight.

"Yeah but perhaps a different shape? If we're dealing with fire, how about a water nymph?" I asked as I took a deep breath, inhaling the fumes that were seeping from under the door. They didn't smell quite like smoke but the possibility still remained.

"Good idea," Luna declared, her momentarily green eyes melting into a clear blue as her skin took on that cyan hue and her solid, human form began to dissolve.

"Wow," Luna gasped, taking a moment to examine herself. "I've only seen one nymph in my life, and never actually tried the shape before." She nodded towards Kate, showing that she should open the door. Kate slowly turned the knob...

"What the bloody hell is that?" Luna exclaimed, staring into the room.

"I'm not quite sure..." Kate answered slowly, examining the large, firey beast. They were not yet in the actual library, but in what Luna took to be a protective room. She could feel the magic in the air.

"I think this is a test. If we can beat this, than we're one step closer to the library," Luna expained quietly. "But I don't know what to do..."

Julia

"Kill it?" Luna suggested.

"That wouldn't make sense," I answered. "If it is a test, others have passed it before us and yet the creature is still here..."

"Then get past it, maybe? That would be easy."

"Maybe," I agreed.

"It's worth a try," Luna decided. Nodding, I took a step forwards and she followed me, dripping across the floor and cooling down the hot, smoky room.

"Who wishes to enter my library?" The creature boomed. I paused and looked up at him, feeling a little intimidated.

"I do," Luna declared. "I'm Luna and we'd really like to look at some of your books and things."

"That is not possible," The creature replied.

"Why not?" I asked.

Karana

I inhaled. This creature was huge! A fire demon? A dragon? I didn't know what it was!

"Ryouku..." I whispered, my anxiety obvious in my tone.

"Don't worry. We'll surivive this."

I certainly hoped so.

"I need no reason; this is my library, and I do not simply allow visitors," the creature answered. Luna glanced over at Julia, unsure of what to say next.

"What would we have to do for you to allow us to enter?" she asked loudly.

"Hmmm..." The creature seemed to be considering this. "How about a game?"

"You name it," Luna answered.

Julia

"Okay," The dragon began as the rest of our group caught up, filtering into the room, "the rules are simple. All you have to do is find my treasure."

"Your treasure?" Karana echoed.

"Yes. My treasure."

"Any chance you can tell us exactly what your tresure is?" Luna asked but the creature shook it's head and snorted, flames curling out from its nostrils to lick the air.

"Alright then. Where is it hidden?" I asked.

"Somehwere in the room below us."

"But there isn't..." Tyrin hesitated as the creature knocked aside a portion of a richly embroidered rug to reveal the handle of a trap door.

"You have an hour," The creature declared.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Luna asked, changing shapes so that she was once again a human, and grabbing the handle of the trap door. She pulled, but it would not budge. "Curses," she muttered under her breath, tugging relentlessly at the handle.

"Allow me," Warren said, pushing Luna gently out of hte way and opening the trap door easily. He looked over at her and smiled. She stuck her tongue out and jumped into the hatch.

"Come on!" she called as she landed gently on her feet. "It's a short fall, I promise!"

Warren followed suit. He grabbed the edge of the 'roof' to swing so he didnt crush Luna. Everyone started to jump down. Ryouku stuck his head in as far as it would go.

"Umm, it looks as if i wont be accompaning you." he said.

Warren looked over at him, and laughed at his squished face, as he tried to fit in, which was apparently a hopeless effort.


*Sorry, thats all i got..sorry ive been gone, and thank you for keeping in my character while i was gone.....like a lot!*

"We'll be back as soon as we can!" Karana shouted as they proceeded further down the passage.

Ryouku sighed and looked up at the fire dragon. "A dragon who's body is made out of fire. I've heard about your kind before but never saw one in person."

"Why do you travel with these insects?" the dragon asked, ignoring the question.

"Why does a wolf travel with its pack?" Ryouku asked.

"Are you saying they are part of your pack?"

"They are more than that, they are my friends. I would never have made it here alone."

"A dragon who travels with humans? I have never heard of anything more pathetic."

"Only one of them is human," Ryouku said.

"It makes no difference to me," the dragon said. "You are a sorry excuse for a dragon."

"Tell me," Ryouku asked, "do you ever get lonely in this place?" The fire dragon's face hardened. "Unless you can answer that question truthfully, you don't have the grounds to be telling me who I should and shouldn't travel with."

Julia

I slipped through the floor and stared at the vast cavern that greeted us. The rocky walls were smoothly carved and rounded at all edges so that it was hard to see where the wall ended and the floor began.

"Wow, it's like being inside a sphere," I commented, placing a hand on the cold, smooth surface.

"I think it's made of marble," Tyrin mused as he too inspected the walls.

"Umm, as nice as these walls are, I don't see any treasure!" Warren exclaimed. We began to search the strange dome but he was right - there was no treasure. In fact, the room was completely empty or so I thought until Karana began knocking upon the walls.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked.

"Trying to find a hollow wall. This room must lead to another," Karana reasoned and sure enough, the right side of the sphere rang hollow.

"But where's the door?" Karana mused.

Karana


I waited on the others to join me. Together, we might be able to find the passage... unless it was just an enchantment or a trick. What if there were these "hollow spaces" placed around the walls evenly? What then?

I thought of something else, raising my hand to the wall. What if I used magic? I didn't know what I would do, but magic was worth a try.

"What are you doing?" Luna asked as I placed my palm flat against the surface.

I didn't answer. I had to think...to focus...

"Karana?"

My hand began to tingle, to glow...but the others didn't notice. Was it my sight alone that saw this?

"Karana?" Warren stepped up behind me. I could feel his presence...

Faint white lines etched themselves into the wall, drawing outlines and what looked like runes...ancient runes... I kept my hand against the wall as I began to read the message aloud.